Scapulars, Holy Water, Ect.

[cheryl]

Is it okay to buy devotional articles that have already been blessed? I've always wanted to purchase some holy water from Lourdes, but have been leery of doing so. Since it has already been blessed, isn't that like buying grace? I know almost every major catholic gift shop sells blessed items, so I guess it's okay...

[HisChildForever]

I am [i]pretty[/i] sure that you can not, but you can give away blessed items. Maybe you can make a donation to the Church, but for outright selling - again, I don't think so.

But I'd like to hear someone who's 100% sure answer this question. =]

[cheryl]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1702154' date='Nov 15 2008, 02:52 PM']I am [i]pretty[/i] sure that you can not, but you can give away blessed items. Maybe you can make a donation to the Church, but for outright selling - again, I don't think so.

But I'd like to hear someone who's 100% sure answer this question. =][/quote]

It's very confusing, 'cause like I said most catholic giftshops sell holy water.

[url="http://search.catholiccompany.com/search?w=holy+water"]Catholic Company[/url] is selling a 4 ounce bottle for $2.00.

If it is wrong to be selling blessed items, then someone somewhere ought to stop the shops from selling them. I wish I knew where to find blessed items without having to pay for them. I'd go to Lourdes. In fact, that's one of my dreams is to visit each of the approved apparition sites, but due to health and finances that's not possible right now.

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

I don't think any of us will ever have the power to stop this from happening.

One of my professors is looking around online, because some non-believer inherited a load of first class relics from his deceased relatives. That seems to me to be something that does not loose power over sales.

shalom
bro mark

[Vincent Vega]

You are not permitted to buy/sell blessed or otherwise holy articles - this is known as simony.

The holy water bottles that you see online are just that - bottles. Holy water is typically not included - you can fill up at your parish (most have a little 'water-cooler' looking thing from which you can get it), or just put some water in it and have your priest bless it. Anything that you will get from a website or store such as scapulars, rosaries, holy medals, etc. have not yet been blessed. As Erin said, you can sometimes get things (ie, Fatima holy water) that are holy in exchange for a donation to a church or organization, but to outright sell it is a no-no.
Pax!

EDIT - Apparently, according to CatholicAnswers and the CCC, I was incorrect. You can buy blessed things, but the transaction nullifies the blessing. In other words, to buy blessed things is to void the blessing. You can buy them, they just need re-blessed. I don't think this is really pertinent to the original question at hand, though. The answer is - you can buy rosaries, scapulars, holy water bottles, etc. online, and you'll be fine.

Edited November 15, 2008 by USAirwaysIHS

[cheryl]

[quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' post='1702184' date='Nov 15 2008, 03:39 PM']I don't think any of us will ever have the power to stop this from happening.[/quote]

I just can't believe otherwise reputable shops are doing this. I'm just at a loss for words.

[quote]One of my professors is looking around online, because some non-believer inherited a load of first class relics from his deceased relatives. That seems to me to be something that does not loose power over sales.

shalom
bro mark[/quote]

God forgive me, if I'm wrong, but it's just.....peddling grace. When my dad and I went to New Mexico to visit my brother, we decided it would be nice to take a tour of a church that was there (the name shall go unmentioned). Well, anyways, in the gift shop I decided to purchase a rosary for my sister (she collects them). It had a bit of the bread used for the host at Mass inside the medal. Christ have mercy, if it was already consecrated. I should have had more discretion. I'm probably just as guilty of purchasing blessed items, as these shops are of selling them. So I go up to pay for the rosary, and around the time I was doing that, the church priest was just leaving. Well, the cashiers kept nagging me to death about getting it blessed..."You better hurry up...he's leaving". That sort of thing. It felt creepy. I told my dad, if the priest had offered to bless it, or a more appropriate window presented itself for me to ask to have it blessed, that would have been fine. But I wasn't going to go chase down grace. It was like, "Hurry, go get some grace....it's going out the door". Weird.

[cheryl]

Oh, thank God, what a relief!

What about water from Lourdes?

[url="http://www.lourdes-water.org/buy/index.php?currency=USD"]Lourdes Water Shop[/url]

[cheryl]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1702200' date='Nov 15 2008, 03:57 PM']EDIT - Apparently, according to CatholicAnswers and the CCC, I was incorrect. You can buy blessed things, but the transaction nullifies the blessing. In other words, to buy blessed things is to void the blessing. You can buy them, they just need re-blessed. I don't think this is really pertinent to the original question at hand, though. The answer is - you can buy rosaries, scapulars, holy water bottles, etc. online, and you'll be fine. [/quote]

But in the case of water from Lourdes, to get it re blessed defeats the purpose of having it to begin with, because it was blessed by Mary (and that can't be repeated...well it can...but only at her discretion).

[Vincent Vega]

In the case of Lourdes water, I'd say that's different. I'd imagine that buying it would maintain it's miraculous properties. Note that it just says "Lourdes Water" and not "Blessed/Holy/So on Lourdes Water"...I don't know though. I'll let someone else chime in.

[CatholicCid]

Holy Water needs to be blessed by a Priest through the proper prayers. I do not believe "Lourdes Water" is considered Holy Water unless a Priest has blessed it. Otherwise, it is simply "Lourdes Water"

[Noel's angel]

Catholiccid, that's exactly right. I was just about to post the same response.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1702213' date='Nov 15 2008, 04:18 PM']In the case of Lourdes water, I'd say that's different. I'd imagine that buying it would maintain it's miraculous properties. Note that it just says "Lourdes Water" and not "Blessed/Holy/So on Lourdes Water"...I don't know though. I'll let someone else chime in.[/quote]


[quote name='CatholicCid' post='1702226' date='Nov 15 2008, 04:54 PM']Holy Water needs to be blessed by a Priest through the proper prayers. I do not believe "Lourdes Water" is considered Holy Water unless a Priest has blessed it. Otherwise, it is simply "Lourdes Water"[/quote]

Good points.

Also, if the Lourdes water was blessed by a priest, then I could understand that you purchasing it is a special circumstance and the blessing may not be lost - for example, you're in a different country and you can't afford the travel. Then maybe your intent comes into play. If you're purchasing it with superstitious intentions, I think the blessing would go away with purchase. But if this isn't your intention, I'm sure it's fine.

[puellapaschalis]

It was my understanding that when you pay for a blessed object, you are not actually paying for the object itself but for anything that comes with the object that is not the object itself - plastic wrapping, (decorative) boxes, etc.

Or maybe that's just relics.

[cheryl]

but....but....but but but........

Didn't Mary already bless the water at Lourdes? I mean that would be the whole reason for having some for me. The water is miraculous (ie grace-filled), if it is sold, then what? Not to undermined a priest's blessing. When I get my scapulars, of course I'm going to have them blessed. But [b]MARY[/b]............Ya know????

[Thomist-in-Training]

The water from Lourdes has healing properties, which I would say are distinct from the properties of holy water (plain water blessed by a priest). I don't think you would refer to it as "blessed by Our Lady" though, more that she either caused the spring, or pointed out the spring. Cf. this by Michelle Arnold from [url="http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=122867"]Catholic Answers[/url].:
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[[Answering a question about a rosary purportedly "blessed by Our Lady" in an apparition]]

The story is told of Joan of Arc that she was once asked to bless a rosary. "Bless it yourself," she is reported to have said. "You can do it as well as I can." Blessing sacramentals is ordinarily the job of a priest, and, as John Paul II liked to point out to advocates of women's ordination, Christ never ordained his Mother.

As for what to do with this rosary: If the only "blessing" this rosary has received is the one reported to have been given by the Virgin Mary, it is essentially an unblessed sacramental. You can dispose of it, or you can take it to a priest for a priestly blessing. Once properly blessed, it will be a blessed sacramental and can be used as you would any blessed sacramental.
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Lourdes water isn't the same as rosaries, though; I would just 1. not think of it as blessed 2. nor get it blessed again. It certainly IS holy, but it's not the same thing as Holy Water. And, you can order it on the Internet from some companies because they charge you for shipping and decorative bottles--not for the water.

Cheryl, I've never seen any Catholic gift shops that claimed to sell blessed items. Curious.